Safety-signal for street-cars



H. P. HOPPE.

SAFETY SIGNAL FOR STREET CARS.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 28. 1921.

PatentedSept. 6, 1921.

DO NOT CROSS.

SA} FETY FIRST UNITED STATES HERBERT I. HOPP E, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAFETY-SIGNAL non STREET-CABS.

To all whom it may mm:

Be it known that I, HERBERT P. Horrn, a citizenof the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented cer tain new and useful Im rovements in Safety-Signals for Streetars, of which the following is .a specification. V

j-This invention relates to certain new and useful'i nprovements in safety signals for streetcars, the peculiarities of which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

. The main object of my invention is the provisionof a warning. signal at the rear end of a street car to warn passengers alighting frornthe .car against" the carelessness of passing behind the car without looking for the approach of another car or vehicle; secondlyto provide means for operating the warning signal by the motorman to indicate the approach of a Cary from the opposite direction; thirdly to provide means for the automatic operation of such a signal upon the stopping of the street car; fourthly, provide means for cuttingout the automatic operation of said signal upon the stoppage of the-car and placing the signalunder control of the ,motorman to allow of his giving a warning signal in case of backing up the street car, and also to avoid operating the signalwhen the car is stopped for other purposes thanto discharge passengers; fifthly toprovidegsuch a warningsignal so as to be audible, or visible,- or both audible and visible. V l

In the accompanying drawing on which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 represents two street cars on adjacent tracks, one being stopped and the other aboutto pass thefirst car fromivhich a passenger has alighted and isv about to pass behindfhis car, and indicating my improved,

safety signalapplied thereto; Fig. 2 a box with cautionary words ona translucent side, a red lens in the .rear oftl1e.'box,-and designed to be carried on the rear of a street car Fig. ,3 an inside view of the .box shown inflFig 2 the side sign being raised,a bell and a'lamp shown within said box as audible and visible signals, electrical connections forjsaid lamp andbell, and a manual circuit closer and an automatic circuit closer in said.

circuit for operating the same; and Fig. 4 a detailed view of one formlof automatic circuit closer and its connection to a car axle for driving. When, an". passenger alights from the rear of a' street car and passes be- Specification of Letters Patent.

f Patented. Sept. 6, 192-1.

Application fi1ed."March 28, 1921. Serial No. 456,212.

hind said car to cross the double track, he is exposed to the danger of being run down by a street car approachingin the o osite direction on the adjacent track. RFy safety signal is designed to Warn the passenger to use care in crossing said tracks, as well as to give especial notice by the motorman of the approach of a carinthe opposite direction. 'Likewise when a car has stopped and is about to backup the motorman can give a warning signal to-any automobile or vehicle in the rear of his car by means of my device, as well as to the passengers who have alighted and are about to cross the track behind the car. i a 7 Likewise it is within the scope of my'invention to call attention automatically to the danger of crossing behind a car when a passenger has alightedfrom said car, and so train the passengers that it will become a fixed habit to stop, look and'listen in passing behind a car. from which they have signal, being preferably-innthe' form of a,

box E having one side F translucent and bearing cautionary words, such as Stop. Do not cross. Safety -first-as shown in Fig. 2. The rear end of said box has a red lens G. A lamp, prefereably incandescent and electrically connected, designated H Fig. 3 is mounted opposite the translucent side F and the red lensG so that. when it is lighted by. Ineanshereafter described, it will make visible the cautionary words on the translucent side, and throw a red light throughthe lens G to the rear. The passenger having just alighted and a car- B approaching on the opposite track, the' visible signal willbe actuated by means described hereafter, so that he is warned of the danger. o

,I also preferably provide a hell I located in said. box and suitably connected electrically to asource ofsupply and in the same circuit withthe connections to the lamp, so that an audible signal, in connection with PATENT OFFICE.

the visible signal, is given simultaneously, and the passengers attention is directed by the soundrof the bell to the cautionary sign 1 illuminated simultaneously.

The electrical connectionsmfor said bell and lamp are indicated by J and K respectively-connecting the same to a source of supply, such as the lamp circuit of the street car or otherwise, and a transformer L is shown in Fig. 8 adjacent to the bell. In these electrical connections is located a mair ual circuit closer in the formofa pushbutton M Fig. 3, adjacent to the motorman so that he may operate the visible and audible signals when the car B is seen approaching his car, as before described.

Not only is such warning signal operated by the motorman but'I have provided an automatic circuit closer for such signal,

which automatic circuit closer is preferably in the form of a rotary shaft in two-pieces N and N Fig. 3, separated by a gap Obetween the adjacent ends as alined in aflhu'b P of insulating material, shown in section in ,Fig. 3 and in side view in Fig. 4:. On each shaft end is a contact Q, Q, respectively connected by a wire Band B to the main wires K and J. Gn the car aXle S pref: erably, is. mounted a pulley T that is belted to a pulley on the dividedshaft 'N-N by which rotation is given to the shaft and its hub. Mounted in this hub P area series of radiating tubes V having capped ends, and in the tubes are respectively mounted movable pieces W that are thrown outward by centrifugal force when the shaft and bub are rotated, but which gravitate downward when said shaft is at rest. These radiating tubes V are fourin number, sothat-atileast one of said pieces .VV will contact withtheshaft and bridge the gap Ouvhen the rotation is stopped bythe stoppage of the car, and thereby will automatically close the circuit in the electrical connections and.operatef the warning signal. 'lVhen the car is run ningihowever, these movable bridge pieces 1V fly outward and the gap 0 is opened and the warning signal is not operated.automati cally. S

A switch is provided however in one of the electrical connections, such as R to the automaticcircuit closer,'and is designated Xin Fig. 3. By means of'thisswitch the automatic closer is cut out by themotorman whenever he desires to do so,such as when the car has stopped for other purposes than allowing passengers to alight or when the caris stopped and it is desired to back up. In such cases the motorman will open the cutout switch X which will render the automatic circuit closer inoperative; he will then operate'th'e warning signal by the manual circuit closer M before mentionedifhe desires to back up the car and give Warning to any vehicle behind thecar; orin the case when no signal is to be given when the car has stopped, simply throwing the cut-out switch X will. render the automatic circuit closer inoperative for the time being.

Thus-"it will be seen that not only the warning signal is visible, but it is audible as well; likewise that said signal isoperated by meansthat areautomatic in connection with the'stoppage of the'car; furthermore that the automatic means may be cut out item.- porarily and that the warning signal :will still remain under 'f controlof the inotorman for the purposes described.

I claim:

1. The combinationwith a street car,v of a warning signal located at the rear of said car and comprising a cautionary sign, an incandescent lamp for the sign, and a bell, electric connections @for' said lamp and bell forming an open circuit. with a source of supply,a gravitating' circuit'closer in said connections adapted to actuate said bell {and lamp when the car is stopped temporarily, substantially as describe '2. The combination with a street car, of means to produce an electrically operated warning signal at the'rear of said car, electric connections for said signal forming an open circuit to a source ofsupply, a gravi tating circuit closer in 'theline of said con nections comprising an insulated rotatable shaft in 'tw o insulated parts forming'a gap, bridge pieces movably' supported by said shaft opposite said gap and. maintaining the circuit open bycentrifugal action whilerotat ng, and: closing the circuit by gravitating action of one of said pieces when rota circuit closer insaid circuit rotated ibythe,

caraxle and adapted to close the circuit automatically when the car stops and open it automatically when. the 'car is running, a second circuit closer in. said circuit under control of the 'motorman' in said car, and a. switch in said cii'cuit and; under control of the motorman for cutting-'outsaid automatic circuit closer while maintainingrthe second circuit closer operative, substantiallyas described. 4; A safety signal fora street car, com

prising a warning signallocated at one end 01"- the car, a rotary circuit closer: adapted to.

be rotated 'bythemovement ofthejcar and normally opennnder rotation but closing automaticallywhen the car stops, and electric connectionslbetween saidsignal and said rotary circuit closer. i

5. A safety s gnal for a. -street car, ,comprising a warning signal located atone end of a street car, a rotating gravitating circuit closer consisting of a divided shaft forming an electric gap, an insulating hub carrying said shaft, a series of radiating 5 tubes mounted in said hub opposite said gap, and bridge pieces slidably mounted in said tubes and seeking the outer ends under rotation of the shaft and one at least gravitating to close the shaft gap when stationary, means to rotate said circuit closer in unison with the movement of the car, and electric connections between said circuit closer and said signal.

6. A safety signal for a street car, com- 15 prising a warning signal, a rotary circuit closer adapted to be rotated by the movement of the car and normally open while rotating, and closed while not rotating, a manual circuit closer; electric connections forming tWo open circuits from said signal to the rotary and manual circuit closers respectively, and a cut-out in the circuit to the rotary circuit closer maintaining the latter circuit open when the rotary circuit closer is not rotated and would normally close the circuit substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

HERBERT P. HOPPE. 

